


Ring

by CaptainThunder



Series: Inktober [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, D&D, Inktober 2019, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 09:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20946263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainThunder/pseuds/CaptainThunder
Summary: A near death experience has a way of putting things into perspective(A story based on the first prompt of Inktober.)





	Ring

They round the corner, running frantically as the tomb collapses behind them. Jori turns, looking to Nilfir and to his shock, his boyfriend is smiling like a madman, tusk and tooth on full display. Nilfir glances at Jori as he runs and seems to giggle, although the sound is drowned out by the sound of hundreds of tons of rocks crashing down 20 feet behind them. Jori looks forward again, trying to look for an exit, but all he sees is smooth chiseled corridor that fades into darkness as his darkvision can only see so far. He looks over at Nilfir again, terrified, but not for his own life. Nillfir pulls a piece of copper wire from a pouch on his side and presses it against his throat. Whispered directly into his ear through magical means, Jori hears Nilfir say* “We’ll be fine, love. Just run forward for us and find an exit. I’ll just turn into something a little quicker and catch up in a second.”

Jori nods and sees his love morph and shift into a direwolf without breaking stride and begin to gain speed, gaining ground against the corridor collapsing behind them. Jori turns back forward and actually starts to run. He very quickly outpaces the direwolf as his own speed doubles and triples, moving at a blinding pace. In a few short seconds, he sees the end of the hallway and stops. It’s a sheer drop into darkness. He just stares down the pit for a few seconds, listening as the roar of the collapse gets louder and louder as despair sets in. He blinks and looks back for Nilfir and sees him bounding towards him as a massive direwolf. He just looks at him and gives a sad smile… until he realizes that the massive form is bounding straight towards him. Jori turns to face him even as his eyes go wide in surprise. The direwolf jumps, but a man is what collides with Jori, flinging them both over the edge.

It takes him a full second to even realize what just happened. Right now, they’re falling down a dark chasm to what Jori is sure to be certain death and he can feel arms wrapped tightly around him. He looks up from Nilfirs shoulder and time seems to slow as he watches the ceiling of the cave chase after them, chunks of rock keeping pace as gravity does its work. He looks at Nilfir who is smiling and looking right back at him. For what he knows is the last time, Jori closes his eyes and brings his face forward and kisses him. It seems to last forever in this adrenaline fueled twilight between life and death as they fall into oblivion. It ends all too soon for him, but not by what he expects. It doesn't end with the snuffing of both of their lives, it ends when Jori feels Nilfir’s mouth harden and elongate into what can only be a beak. Jori pulls back and opens his eyes, looking up in amazement and a little bit of disgust as his partner shifts once more, but this time into a giant eagle. As the arms recede, talons grasp at his torso and gravity suddenly reasserts itself.

From his angle, all he sees is feathers and light and he can feel a full second of horizontal movement before a crash and tumble, but against something softer than stone. They’ve come to a stop and it's a very familiar form that he’s laying on. Panicked, he sits up and looks around, but… they’re no longer in the tomb. Its sunset in a very sparse forest. Jori looks back and see sheer rocky cliff and a cave full of rocks that are still settling. He breathes out a sigh and looks down at Nilfir who is blessedly back in his humanoid form. Nilfir just silently smiles up at him. Jori feels hands come to rest on his hips. Jori says* “How did you know?”

Nilfir shrugs. “I could smell the fresh air. So, are you going to get off of me, or…”

Jori rolls his eyes but smiles as he feels those hands start to slide back. Jori, with reflexes only a monk possesses rolls off of Nilifir and springs into the air, twisting and landing in a relaxed standing posture. The druid simply stands up like a normal person, chuckling the whole time. Nilfir says aloud “Alright, let's see what all we got.” and starts pulling various items out of another pouch on his side that looks way too small to hold what his pulling out, and placing said items on the ground.

While he’s doing that, Jori has something else on his mind. A specific item that he found in there. The monk turns around and reaches into a pocket on his robes. From it, he pulls a ring. A very simple ring made of what he’s pretty sure is mithral. He plucks it up between his two fingers and looks at it. It definitely too big for his own fingers, but thats not what he has in mind. No right now his mind wanders to that moment as they fell. When he looked up and Nilfir all the worries left him even in the face of death. All because he knew they would be together. He looks back over his shoulder at Nilfir. He watches as the man looks down at particularly pretty looking chain shirt. The setting sun illuminating him in a way that makes him look like he’s glowing and the glint from the chins link shirt shining across his pale green skin like starlight. Jori just nods as a profound understanding fills him. This man is his destiny.

The monk turns around completely, still holding the ring in his closed hand. It takes him a few seconds of opening and closing his mouth before words actually spill out. He says “So uh… there’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

Nilfir looks over, immediately concerned by the expression on Jori’s face. He takes a step closer. “What's wrong?”

Jori averts his gaze for a split second before looking back. “Uh… Well actually, I mean… I have a question. A big one. The biggest one, or so I’m told.”

Jori drops to a knee and holds out the ring, palm up. Nilfir smiles at him with that same gentle smile, already knowing both the question and the answer. He’d made up his mind a long time ago.

**Author's Note:**

> That's it! Hope you enjoy.


End file.
